Cross-word-puzzle game



c. H. BUTLER CROSS WORD PUZZLE GAME Filed Feb. 11, 1925 la y a 6 l -F/6.4 6 I I I I INVHVTOR. c. H Buf/er momma Patented Dec. 22, 19 25.

- CHARLES :11. Burma; or NnwYonx, Ni Y;

x ss-wdms-Pluzmelm I Application fil ed February 11, 19%. f s eriallio. 1 i

To all whomiz'tlmag fconoernk i Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. Burma s, citizen of the ,Unitecl States, residing at New York, in the county of New ork and State of'New York, have, invented certain new and useful "Improvements in Cross- .Word-Puzzle Games, of which the following is aspecification, c

This invention relates to puzzles, and? its main bject .is to provide a game based upon the principle of the, widely known cross-word puzzles at present in vogue, vwith the purpose of forming intersecting words i by the movement of a plurality of letterbearing elements to; predetermined positions upon aspeciallyfidesigned surface: I

I With the above primary object in view, the, invention comprises a circumferential-1y walled board provided with a plurality of cups or pockets relatively arranged so that one of the cups 1s at the point of intersection of imaginary straight lines passing through the others. v V

Alnumber of small balls bear letters which if properly arranged spell a plurality of words having one letter in common and by placing the balls in the pockets in a predetermined arrangement with that bearing the common or key letter in the pocket at the point of intersection, the object of the game is attained.

The balls are moved into the pockets by tilting, jigging and otherwise manipulating the board and it will be evident that considerable skill and ingenuity are required to in this manner cause the balls to move into the particular pockets and to remain in place until all of the balls are properly positioned.

In order to establish a method for moving the balls to the pockets in more or less systematic order, my invention includes the provision of a depressed ring at or near the periphery of the board, in which the balls are stationed at the beginning of the game, and a number of guide-grooves leading from the ring toward but not to the group of pockets.

The surface of the board is preferably painted or printed in the conventional crossword puzzle design in order to more impressively convey the meaning and purpose 0 the game, and the balls each bear their letters at quadrant points of their circumference so that one of the letters is always visible when the balls, are moved upon the dots of the same.

oa at e e ir p a d i It will bereadilyseen that-the hereinabove describedisnot only highly en} tertaini'ng as a. mechanical substitute for the 'ordinarynwritten cross-word puzzle but-is likewise ofv educational value..,

been illustrated in the accompanying drawl ja i f which like parts safe similarly designated and in Whichsimple embodiment'of my lnvention l I I 65.

"Figure 1 represents;aperspect ve VIGW Of the game board; a e y i I Figure 2, a central sectionof the board along the line 2-2, Figure, 1;

Figure 3, a section taken on the line 33,

Figure 1; I Y a 1 Figured, an elevation of the five balls .ada ted as s own;.a nd 1 for use :in connection with the board Figures 5 and 6,

pockets of the same.

gnates the board which is preferably circular and provided with a peripheralnwall 9 p ta mg: im. 6-,

A group of'five pockets is formed in the surface of the board in right-angularly intersecting imaginary lines, one of the pockets 7 being at the point of intersection of the lines and in the center of the board, and the other pockets 8 being located in the lines at equal distances and at opposite sides from the pocket 7.

v fragmentary and reduced face viewsof the surface of the board, show- ,ing two arrangements of the balls in [the An annular depression 9 at the periphery of the board represents the station where the balls are collected at the beginning of the game and four guide grooves 10 extend radially from the depression 9 in the direction of the group of pockets and merge slantingly into the surface of the board at a distancefrom the pockets, as shown in detail in Figure 3. v

With a board having five pockets as that shown in the drawings, five balls 12 are used as illustrated in Figure 4, each of the balls bearing a letter or other symbol preferably at different points of its surface.

The player designates one of the balls as f the key ball, i. e., the ball bearing a letter The balls are placed in 'the;s'tation ring and the board is tilted, jigged and other Wisemanipulated to cause the balls to pass onto the surfaceof the board through the guide grooves, and thence into the pockets. The key ballmust necessarily be moved into the pocket at the point of intersection of the Word-lines and the "other balls are caused to move into the other pockets in arrangements corresponding with the adopted words. v I v Fdi'ifxafiiple the arrangement shown in ut and that illustrated in Figure 6, the words Tub -and""G'ui1 both groups of intersecting word's the common letmay-he speiledas follows:

I f By: {using}, the same letters, t'h words But and Gun "01 the words Gut a and Bun, or'the words Bun? and Tug Bi BUT GU TUG .N e N No It will be readily understood that by using *di'fi'erent lettersor difi'erent numbers or arrangements of pockets and balls a practioally endless variety of combinations-may be formed, or .thatby s pplying with a hoe-rd having a definite group of pockets, a number of sets of balls having difl'e'rent letters or symbols, the game may be varied so *toai 'ford i structive amusement With resewed interest each time a new combination oiletters'is chosen. a

The surface of the board is painted or signature.

printed to represent the oross word jpuzzle 7 2. A cross-word 'pu'zzle-gameeomprisinga board having aggroup of ook'ets arranged in-intersecting lines, one of thep'ockets :be- 1 ing at the point of interseotion,"and a numa,

ber of symbol-bearing balls. adapted to rest in the pockets, the board having furthermore a depression providing a station'fo'r the balls at the beginning 'of'the game, and

guide grooves leading from th'e' depression 66 toward but not 1 to the group of pockets.

3. A Cross-Word puzzle game comprising a board having a group of pockets arranged in intersecting'li'nes, one of the pocket's being atthe point of intersection, and a number ofsym'bol-bearing balls adapted to rest in the pockets, the board having furthermore an annular depression around the group of pockets, providing a station for theballs at I the beginning of" the game," and guide grooves leading fromthe depression toward "but not to the grou of pockets;

, In testimon CHARLES H. BUTLER.

y whereof I have afiixed m 7 

